Griz preaching patience, unity as they head west

Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Joerger yells to his team as they played the Indiana Pacers in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Monday, Nov. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

About seven weeks ago when the Grizzlies officially began giving their team identity a slight face-lift, there was a call for patience.

The start of training camp is when Griz coach Dave Joerger expressed a strong commitment to a motion offense. Joerger said it would take roughly 20-25 regular-season games to fairly evaluate.

Memphis (3-5) embarks on a four-game road trip that starts Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers with fans expressing great consternation about the team's play.

Internally, there's confusion and a surprising lack of chemistry.

Joerger still is preaching patience.

"We will get there. We will be all right," Joerger said Wednesday night after the Grizzlies' 103-87 loss to the Toronto Raptors. "There is definitely a level of frustration that we aren't playing hard enough."

However, players aren't convinced it's merely a lack of effort that explains why the Griz rank in the bottom third in the NBA in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

They talk about trusting one another, especially on defense. It's clear too that the Griz aren't comfortable with how they are being asked to play on offense.

The faster-paced, free-flowing, equal-opportunity offense has often produced a maddening amount of turnovers and ill-advised shots.

"It's a broken record," Joerger said. "We have been talking about it and talking about it."

Griz guard Tony Allen recently took responsibility for igniting the Grizzlies' suddenly flat defense. Center Marc Gasol now says he could be more of a catalyst on offense.

"We're not making anybody else better," Gasol said. "I've got to make everybody's job easy. I've got to give my guys confidence. I'm not doing that right now on both ends. I take large responsibility for it."

Gasol said the West Coast road trip will test the team's character.

"You've got to prove what you're made of in the tough times," Gasol said. "It's easy to get the growl towel and wave it when we're winning. But now, when it's tough and everything doesn't look as pretty, that's when you've got to show what you're about and help your teammates the most and try to play your hardest."

Memphis will try to end a two-game losing streak as it embarks on a four-game road trip. The Griz are 0-3 on the road as they prepare to face the Lakers, Kings, Clippers and Warriors before returning home to meet the Spurs. The Grizzlies' subpar defense is one reason for their struggles of late. Opponents are averaging 99.4 points and 46.6-percent shooting. The Lakers' firepower has mostly come from their bench. They have 11 players averaging 14-plus minutes per game. The Lakers' bench leads the league in scoring at 49.6 points per game. The second unit has accounted for 49.9 percent of the team's scoring. Lakers starting point guard Steve Nash is expected to be out two weeks with nerve root irritation in his back. Los Angeles is still without Kobe Bryant, who is recovering from an Achilles injury.